Fischer remains favourite of Czech presidential election - poll

CeskeNoviny: Prague - Former prime minister Jan Fischer has the biggest chance of advancing to the second round of the direct presidential election in the Czech Republic, according to an election model conducted by the Median agency in July and released to CTK today.

Fischer would win the first round with 34.5 percent of the vote, followed by former Social Democrat (CSSD) head and former prime minister Milos Zeman with 14 percent of the vote.

Economist Jan Svejnar, who has not yet decided about his candidacy, would finish third with 11.5 percent of the vote, the poll shows.

Support for Fischer has increased by 2.5 percentage points since the June poll. He has enjoyed stable support of about one-third of Czechs, who want to take part in the presidential polls, since the spring.

On the contrary, Zeman has lost 3 percentage points since the previous poll.

According to the poll, presidential election turnout would be 67.5 percent.

One in six of those who are decided to go to the elections is not able to choose from the offered presidential candidates so far.

Consequently, support for particular candidates may considerably change being influenced by their elections campaigns and debates, Median says.

The poll was conducted on almost 1000 voters over 18 years on July 2-August 1.

The first direct presidential election in the Czech Republic will be held at the beginning of 2013 early next year when President Vaclav Klaus's second and last possible term expires.

Until now, the president has been elected by the two houses of parliament.

Other known candidates for president are senior government Civic Democrat (ODS) and opposition Social Democrat senators Premysl Sobotka and Jiri Dienstbier, respectively, Foreign Minister and junior government TOP 09 chairman Karel Schwarzenberg, former industry and trade minister Vladimir Dlouhy, and Klaus´s secretary Ladislav Jakl.

Three women are also to run for president: actress Tana Fischerova would be the third woman to contest the presidential post, after MEP Zuzana Roithova and extra-parliamentary Sovereignty party chairwoman Jana Bobosikova.